The revision addresses more than 500 documented comments and recommendations from users throughout the industry and contains 125 new or changed illustrations.

"There have been major enhancements in nearly every chapter, with updated and expanded criteria," said Jack Crawford, IPC's director of certification and assembly technology.

Some of the most extensive changes appear in the molding and potting section, which has been expanded for increased coverage of Class 2 and 3 requirements, including 31 new illustrations. The document also provides new criteria for wires as small as 32 AWG (0.202mm diam), and has a section on requirements flow down, which requires companies to have their subcontractors use the standard to ensure all hardware is manufactured to the same guidelines.

In addition, the revised document allows users to more easily reference and apply criteria from multiple standards, because of a greater compatibility with the widely used J-STD-001E, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies and IPC-A-610E, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies.

Users with varying reliability requirements and markets in different regions will also have greater ease-of-use with the addition of UL, SAE and IEC pull-force tables.

"Depending on their customers' needs, users can look at different sections and know they're meeting industry or regional requirements," said T. John Laser, a manufacturing engineer at L-3 Communications and chair of the IPC task group that developed the standard.

IPC/WHMA-A-620B is 400 pages long and contains 682 full-color illustrations. IPC members may request one free single-user download or hard copy of IPC/WHMA-A-620B, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies, at www.ipc.org/A-620B-request within 90 days of the document's publication date of Oct. 31. After that date (Jan. 30), IPC members may purchase the standard for $55. The industry price is $110.